The A$AP Ferg song that got BYU's Cougarettes cancelled
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The BYU Cougarettes dance at a football game in 2022. Photo: Chris Gardner/Getty Images
Brigham Young University pulled its award-winning dance squad, the Cougarettes, from their performance at Saturday's football game after complaints about the hip-hop song their routine was set to.
Yes, but: The lyrics that played over the speakers were edited to remove profanity and sexual references.
What happened: The Cougarettes danced to an edited version of A$AP Ferg's 2017 "Plain Jane" (Remix) featuring Nicki Minaj at the Sept. 2 season opener against Sam Houston State University in Provo.
- Complaints over the song prompted the school, operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to cancel the Cougarettes' planned performance at Saturday's game against Southern Utah University, KSL Sports reported.
The lyrics: A video of the performance shows what audiences heard:
- Ride with the mob, Alhamdulillah | Check in with me and do your job | Ferg is the name, Ben Baller did the chain | Tourneau for the watch, presi Plain Jane
- Yamborghini chain, rest in peace to my superior | Hermès link could feed a village in Liberia | (inaudible) gotta check in with the Queen | I'm the Alpha, the Omega, everything in between
- Ride with Minaj, mm, Mashallah | Check in with me, then do your job | Queen is the name, Rafaello did the chain | This is Monse, Patty Plain Jane
A modified version of the chorus follows.
Catch up quick: The names in the lyrics are fashion and jewelry references.
- The song describes the singer's climb out of hardship to comfort. "Plain Jane" describes an item so luxe it needs no modification; in the song, it's a luxury watch.
Between the lines: The full, unedited lyrics contain explicit language and sexual references, and the song samples a Three3 Six6 Mafia track about a sex act.
- Although those sensitive lyrics were not in the version the Cougarettes danced to, they prompted BYU to pull the performance and review the group's song selection process, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
What they're saying: The school's decision prompted criticism from Cougarettes fans, including former BYU fullback Houston Heimuli.
- "Found out the Cougarettes can't perform their timeout numbers this weekend cuz a couple people complained about the music choice," Heimuli posted on X, formerly Twitter. "Way to ruin it for the majority."
- Hemā Heimuli Jr., a producer for BYU TV, posted a video of the football team warming up to another hip-hop song whose unedited lyrics are also explicit, noting: "Nobody show the decorumites this video before they look up the lyrics."
The other side: "I'll take the blame on this one," BYU's athletic director Tom Holmoe posted on X.
- "Poor communication on my part for this week's game entertainment. Cougarettes are amazing student athletes and you'll see 'em performing again soon — better than ever."